Stage Racing for the Elderly

I've been tossing around a few things lately and one of them was to throttle back a bit for 2012. I've had the hammer down for 3 years and it's starting to take it's toll.

When they announced a SR where one of the stages and the TTT started 15 minutes from my house I have to say I was pretty pumped. It was to be my second "A" race for the year but...things have a way of not playing out the way they're supposed to.

Day 1


The First race was a circuit race on the same course we hold our weekly World Championships. It's a flat, windy 8km circuit with a mix of good road and some chopped up bits I'm quite fond of. There's even a technical 120 deg corner in there that I like to use to put the hurt on the kids.


Our race was Saturday afternoon in the blistering sun which was good because Saturday morning was also the first soccer practice for my 4 1/2 yr old son. To be honest I don't know who was more excited about soccer, him or me.

I got up at 5:30 to take care of some email, woke my son up at 7:00 to get him dressed, packed the cooler, got him fed and picked up another coffee for daddy. We took the scooter to the soccer pitch where I watched him run around and wonder what the coach meant by 'out of bounds", I mean there was plenty of grass and he had the ball so why shouldn't he just keep going with it while the other kids chased him?


With soccer out of the way we went home, played with lego and I loaded the team car for the quick drive to the race.

During the team meeting I laid out the game plan. The goal was to do nothing until the first break went and stuck and then to put Gavin in the second serious move. The secondary plan was to set me up for the sprint with one of my team mates acting as a lead out. The ultimate goal was to get as many points as possible towards the series overall.

I spent the race mostly fighting for position and leading one chase and making one bridge attempt to mark another rider but mostly I spent the laps calculating exactly where I would have to be over the last 3km due to the fact that the wind changed direction 3 times. Each lap I ran through it and confirmed my plan.

Coming into the last last I got into position and started looking for my lead-out. He was no-where to be seen. Everything had gone right; I had used positioning to easily move up and was sitting where I needed to be 250m out but without a wheel to follow to get me on top of the gear.

The next mistake was mine. I hesitated. As I waited I got shoved to the right and the sprint got away from me. Now I was mostly out of position but I still had the wind and a clean line to the finish. I eventually wound it up but had to settle for 5th.

Not happy.

We had 50 minutes and then the TTT.


I though I had planned my day to get the most done in the least amount of time. I thought I was oh, so cleaver. One thing I didn't do was get the food right. Total fundamental rookie error.


During the TTT I lost all power and even got dizzy near the end. It was a total write off for us.


Day 2.


This was a hilly course and we were racing in the heat even though we had a 7am start.


I got up a 4am after not sleeping due to a VERY LOUD temple celebration that featured a band and fireworks that never seemed to end and seemed to be right under my window. The last time I looked at my watch it was 11:30.


We lined up and bang we're off.


Based on how I felt the day before, my lack of sleep and the fact that this course featured never ending punchy 1km, 2km and 3km climbs I figured I was going to get shelled mighty early.  I even took the keys to the van so I could take a short-cut back to the van if it was very early in the race.


Our big plan had been for Gavin to do well but he flated about half way and that pretty much ended our day. There was no real Plan B.

Much to my surprise I was still in the bunch after many riders had been dropped as we hit the major climb for the day. It wasn't a huge climb. It only gained a few hundred meters in elevation but it had a steep section near the top and then several more steps until the decent. Then there was another popper and one more 2km climb before the final 10km flat to the finish.


I came off just as we hit the steep section and I chased over the popper and the next grinder all the way to the flat section with 4 other guys. Then it was just 3 of us and I was done. One of the other guys pretty much pulled us to the line so I let him drift 20m or so out in front of us so he could come across alone. Not that it mattered anyway.

At the end of the day we walked with nothing.


For the weekend we got a 3rd, a 5th and Team 5th overall. We managed to pick up some good points towards the season overall.


I went home, lay on the sofa and although exhausted, couldn't muster much more than a dose.


I had been doing a serious rethink about 2012 and this weekend may have been all I needed to convince myself that changes are needed.


I may shut down the team and ride for a club next year. All the work and time that goes into setting up a team, running it, dealing with sponsors, washing water bottles, packing the team car, unpacking the team car and on and on eats into not only my training time but also my life.


Throttling it back a bit may actually produce better results and I may even have more fun. Not to mention I need to make time to help my son understand soccer.

30 JULY 2011 Giant Cup

The race popped up on the calender a little late. It's a pretty good race media wise and it's always good to do well here.

This was a new course that is actually on an airbase across the street from the New Giant Taiwan HQ. As soon as I saw the course I knew it was a good one for me.

The course was basically a long thin rectangle with the start/finish coming after 2 hard and short left hand turns. The other end of the course detoured around some construction and has a few short sections in it and all the headwind.

I prerode the course and realized that I needed to be in position about 50m out from the last 2 corners. The long straight heading into the two final corners was on a landing strip divided down the middle by cones but about 100m from the corners the cones ended and you could dive down, into the corners and carry a ton of speed through the first corner turning the final two corners into one.

There were primes every 3 laps so I waited for the second one, when there were 3 guys away going for the prime and I jumped as if I wanted to bridge to them. Really I just wanted to test the line at speed and make sure that I was going at the right spot. Sure enough it worked perfectly and I came onto their wheels just as they crossed the line selling it the whole way.

For the rest of the race I followed wheels while the Continental riders slugged it out. Lots of guys were getting dropped off the back because of the wind and the speed so I had to hide but also I had fight to keep a good position and not to get caught behind any gaps.

As usual us Olde Elite guys were thrown in with the Elite/Continental/National Team riders. I knew I couldn't out sprint the guys who had just come back from some decent stage racing but I was pretty sure I could finish near the front and win the Masters category.

Coming into the last lap I worked myself into position and was able to jump, set my line and come across for a win.

Considering the less than stellar fitness I have I was more than please to take a win.

Master Race, Pintung County 10 July 2011

This was the first time I got to do a Masters race in ages. Very civilized, I must say.

The course was a flat,windy 15km loop around a harbour-recreation area. There was a pretty steep bridge that went over the entrance to the harbour. It was about 150m up and 100m down at about 7~8%. The wind was also right in our faces so I barely got over 60kph on the way back down.

It was a weird course because it seemed like there was only about 2km of tailwind and the rest was crosswinds of some sort or swirling headwinds.

Bang, we're off, a few minor attacks and we're swinging into the headwind for the first time. Still more attacks and a former team mate (Bo Zhuo) jumps away. I sit in about 10 wheels back and watch.

We go up the little bridge for the first time and a former sponsor jumps pretty hard. He crests but doesn't keep on it on the way down the other side. I push over the top, flick my levers on the way by and he slides onto my wheel.

I wind it up and we get about 10 seconds. I slide over for him to pull through and he sits on me. I keep my legs turning over but it's clear he isn't coming through. I know someone will soon, though. Sure enough two guys come across and I jump on them. We bridge up to Bo Zhuo who has been dangling all this time but the group is having none of it and they string it out to bring our silliness to an end.

A few more laps of this kind of stuff but I'd decided that I will go the last time over the bridge so I keep my position near the front but always on a wheel. It seems the quick pitch up and wind is the only place to really attack. It's about 4km from the finish and I like to get things going about that far out so the sprinters have to work long before we get to their sweetspot 150m out. Even if I'm positioned well at that point I don't have that kind of kick anymore.

I move into position about 1km before the bridge (we can see it from about 3km out). I get squeezed a bit but I lean on the squeezer and my space opens up again. We hit the bridge and everyone gets out of the saddle. The wind has been picking up and it gives us all a shove to the right. This closes the door in front of me a bit but I see Bo Zhuo start to nail it and I follow him through the front few guys over the top. I'm about to crank it up when I feel that there are a few other guys coming on my left (protecting me from the wind) so I pause to let them wind it up. I give Bo Zhuo a look and tell him that I will take him to the line. This is a C race for me and I've been a little sick so I just decided to make it as fun as I can.

We drop off the bridge and the road squeezes in. Bo Zhuo gets pushed off my wheel and I hear him say, 'Wait".

When we were team mates I used to be his lead out guy. He's got a helluva kick so it worked out well at the time.

Then I hear him say 3km so I know it's time to wind it up. I drop into the 53x13 and get on top of the gear. I slide to the right in the crosswind to give Bo Zhuo some draft but guttering everyone else behind him. I string it out and the elastic breaks 4 riders back. One guy jumps hard but I don't react. I just stay on top of the gear and focus on his back wheel.

We go up to him and past him and I can start to feel the last 10 days of being sick. The top end is starting to go. We're still 1km out and I give Bo Zhuo the flick that he has to go. Now. Sorry. But he doesn't go. We hesitate.

The two guys behind him jump just as a few more riders who made it across come by. Bo Zhuo slides onto them and I do, too. They get Bo Zhuo back on top of the gear and he jumps away from us all. I am very happy to see them move to the left side of the road. I surf up a few riders as they all fade and come across for 4th.

I was pretty happy with the result until I saw them give Bo Zhuo a new FUJI with Taigra for 1st place. I totally know someone who could have used that.

Oh, well.

Race Report - 26 June 2011

It rained pretty hard yesterday as some typhoon grazed our Island after killing a few people in the Phillippines. Pretty everyday stuff.

The good news is that today was the Tainan Parking Lot Race. I was pumped to ride and conditions were ideal.

I rolled to the start as it was very close to my house. I had an idea of what to expect and it pretty much played out as I thought it might.

We lined up to start on the pace was a bit sporadic. There were several sink holes to thoroughly inspect and many puddles that needed to be ridden through more than once.

In the end I finished 2nd in the sprint to an up an coming rider. Now I know who to watch for...

Big, Big Mountains and What They Gave Me.

A lot of things have happened to me on a bike.

I've found love, I've been crushed by a shit brown Toyota, I've laughed and I've cried.

The last time I cried on my bike was at the top of a mountain in Spain in 1988. The last time I've seen another rider cry was at the top of Yushan in Taiwan in 2002.

In 1988 I was touring and then racing in Europe. I started a beautiful day riding fully loaded and climbed a series of mountains, the last of which had a road that eventually turned into a hand patted goat path with grades that bikes were never meant to ride. I spent hours convinced that the next bend or the next rubble strewn pitch was the last and that the top was just beyond.

When I finally did reach the top there was a small bench with small man sitting on it. I got off my bike, sat down and cried. I don't mean I sniffled while a tear rolled down my salt stained cheek, I mean I cried like a baby. It was all I could do.

The last time I saw another rider cry like this was at the top of YuShan Mountain in Taiwan. This is one of the top 10 highest paved roads in the world with the road reaching 3200m + . I suspect that the paved roads in the Andes or what ever other roads are higher than this have never been raced up by idiots on bicycles. And it's not just the elevation. I've ridden or raced the Pyrenees, The Alps and the Rockies but the mountains in Taiwan are different.

First off, there is never a section longer than 200m. It is constant switchbacks and winding roads with changing pitches including crazy 12% plus pitches even above 2500m. There's just no way to find a rhythm. It is not only physically demanding but mentally exhausting as well.

I was sitting in my team car, having just finished the stage that ended atop this behemoth, the motor was running and the heater blaring against the 4*C wind and rain when the door swung open and the last rider on our team to finish was thrust in beside me. He sat there for a moment and then it came; Heavy, billowing sobs of a man who has expended everything he had and doesn't even have the strength left to control his emotions.

This isn't to say that this happens to anyone who rides these kinds of mountains but racing them is a different story.


So here we were at zero dark:30 ready to start and I was hella glad that I was driving the team car instead of racing.
I was doing a standing feed at 2300m. I'd hurt my back a week earlier and was starting to feel better but a race like this would have done me in. Besides, years ago, when at my peak in terms of pure climbing I would have still been fodder for a race like this.

So I set the guys up and drove off at 4:30am to get to the feed station we all agree was the most critical. Here I fed solid food and specific stuff like BCAA8000 to our riders while there was another neutral feed further up that had water and bananas run by the organizer.

I drove, sat and waited.

Then the first riders came by. Two pure climbers on their own. Beautiful.

A minute back was a small group of four. The another four. Then time.
Then Gavin. Struggling but tucked into another small group. I gave him 2 bottles and had a good look at his face. All I thought was how glad I was that it wasn't me.

My other team mates came by over the next few minutes and then I hung around to pass out a few bottles to friends and other riders I knew from our area of the country I knew wouldn't have dedicated feeds and were relying on the organizer for water. I had BCAA8000 which was like being a Crack King on Junkie Mountain.

I passed out what I had and then drove towards the finish.

Gavin finished top 20 which is pretty good for a guy who isn't a pure climber. There was a 20% time delay in effect which DSQ'd all but the top 25 riders out of a few hundred.

I didn't see anyone cry but on the long drive back down the mountain I saw many, many riders struggling, more than an hour back, or sitting by the side of the road, their bike leaned up, with a stunned look on their face.

I could relate.
The End.

2011 Hau-Dong Race Report

DAY 1 - 143KM

I can honestly say I hate this stage. About 20km there is a series of climbs that are a few km long and steep enough in places to shatter the group. My goal is always to make it over this section in the main group.

This year was no different.

It was a beautiful day: sunny with a slight headwind but not too hot and no humidity. That would change.

The race started as usual with a long neutral, then we hit the first little rise and it was game on! Right away the race cranks up to 50~60kph and pretty much stays there until we hit the first section of the climbs which is through tunnels.

As much as I hate this stage I really do like climbing through the tunnels. It's fast but interesting at the same time. I came out of the tunnels in good position and then proceeded to get trailed off as we progressed through the rest of the climbing.

Based on my fitness it was pretty much what I expected.

I nailed it on the descent and gathered up a pretty good posse. Last year I managed to bridge from the chase group into the main field after about a 15km chase. This year we got close but the main field was also chasing a break and the wind had picked up considerably. We got within 30 seconds but then they were gone.

I told my team mates before the race that if you were not in the main group by this point your job was to sit in and do NOTHING. Suck wheel until the finish and stay fresh for day 2. I did just that.

The wind got stronger and stronger and by the time we finished, more than 3 hours later, it was hella strong. It really cooked the guys in my group and several just disappeared off the back.

The only way I could contribute to the team on this day was to finish as high as I could in the Elite Masters 40+. (Pro Elite/Espoir/ Elite Masters 30+ and Elite Master 40+ all race together). Even if I could snag a few points for the team this was an 'A' category race so points went pretty deep and it could help in the season overall.

With this in mind there is a climb with a tunnel in the middle and a second grind after that that is about 15km from the finish. I went off the front here hoping that the few remaining guys in my cat would be dropped here. The group just let me ride away. The wind was so strong that I just sat up. It wasn't worth it to kill myself to the finish for a few points and waste myself for Day 2.

Bunch sprint (of our little bunch) and I finished 4 or 5 .

The bad news? There was a 10% time delay in effect and we were just outside of it. DSQ'd every darn one of us.

Now the funny thing is I didn't know about this time delay AND there were riders who realized they were outside the delay so they got off their bikes and got in the team cars. They would be fresh for day 2.

Now how is this possible you say? Aren't time delays for STAGE RACES?!? And if so, if you are cut you can NOT RACE THE NEXT DAY!?!

Yes, this is true. A time delay that lets you race the next do is just DUMB. Obviously no-one at the organization who made this race understands what the heck a time delay is for or how it is used.

I am not surprised...

The Good new is our designated guy finished 2nd in Elite Master 30+. Sweet.

DAY 2 - 178km

Rain. It was going to rain for day 2. I really didn't care as long as we started in dry conditions.

I got my wish and we were off in another painfully slow neutral start. Once we finally got going the pace jumped, there was a string of attacks and the first real break went away. It ended up being the right mix as two of the Continental teams went to the front and for the rest of the day chased EVERYTHING that moved.

It ended up being a 4 hour interval session.

This stage has a single climb after 110km that shells some but doesn't break up the race like on Day 1. At the pre race meeting we were told the roads were all in excellent condition with the exception of one area of construction just over 30km from the finish.

Perfect. We would attack there.

Up and over the climb (I ran over one of those meter tall orange pylons, gave everyone a good laugh but didn't go down). I got pushed into the rough by a Nervous Nelly on the decent but got back on the line and moved to where I wanted to be.

Shortly after the group came together I launched an attack hoping to set Gavin up with the counter. Nothing doing. We were back to the same attack, chase and sit up we'd been doing for the last 100km.

When we got to the point we'd hoped for nasty roads the conditions were actually pretty good. There were pylons and the road narrowed and did some weird gymnastics around the work that was going on but the surface was smooth. We also weren't the only ones with this idea so the pace was fast and the group strung out a bit so it was pretty smooth; Not at all what we wanted.

Eventually I dropped to the back and signaled for our team car so I could get some water. I sat there for a while as other team cars came past me and fed their guys. Finally I waved my arms in frustration and the race director rolled up beside me and gave me a bottle of water from his car. He said our driver probably just didn't hear the race radio.

I have no idea what happened to our car but soon after I took a slug of water there was a big crash in front of me and at least 30 guys went down. I rolled past the group yelling for Gavin but he wasn't there. Alex was extracting himself from the pile but I had no idea how long he would be so I jumped around the mess and started to chase.

I dropped the half empty bottle of water and buried myself trying to catch the back of one of the few teams cars that had made it around the crash. I couldn't quite get on the back of the last one but eventually I caught the back and made my way through to the race directors car. I took a moment and then jumped across to the group.

A little while later Alex, Steve (a former team mate) and one other rider caught back onto the group. The rest who went down never made it back.

I checked Steven's ass for him (let him know how bad it was or wasn't) and we continued in the rain until the finish.

On the finish climb we kept above 40kph but I was able to hold a good position. The last 3km are slightly downhill and a 2% final km to the finish. I picked my wheel and hung on to the end. All I was looking for was a good a placement as possible for team overall (season).

I finished off the podium by a tire width.

No hardware for me this year but Gavin was 2nd and we did manage points for the season overall.

The Pain Cave - Feb Training Camp 2011

DAY 1 - 20 min Power Test

We had a short training camp this year because the Chinese New Year Holidays were so short. We started off with a 20 minute Power test to establish early season FTP.

We decided to invite a few other racers to suffer along with us. We had a nutritional lecture and some coaching about training with a Power Meter as well. As the above picture indicates a splendid time was had by all...

DAY 2 - 160km 1600m elevation gain.

For day 2 we went for a nice ride in the nearby mountains. I was shooting for 2500m elevation gain on the day but logistics prevented this. The ride was just under 5 hours on a beautiful, sunny day. Temps were in the low 20's C and the wind wasn't kicking us in the teeth for a change.

I think the best part of the day was finally getting the guys all together for the first time. This has only happened at races so far this season. We should be able to organize this a little better in the near future so I'm not too concerned about this.
This was a pretty enjoyable ride. I took the guys on some of the smaller, nastier back roads that I like before we hit the main climb for the day. The ride back was rolling and pretty fast.

DAY 3 - TTT Practice.

I've done more TTs than any of the guys on the team and certainly more TTTs. The first race we have for the season long Giant Cup Race Series is a TTT. We skipped it last year and, I believe, missed out on some points that hurt us for the overall at the end of the season.

I got a chance to blather on a bit about the technical aspects of a TTT. We did one last year (there were 2 last season) and we lost considerable time because of a series of technical errors we made repeatedly.

A good warm up and we basically did a TTT. The pace was in the 45~50kph range for most of it, which was good. Also the course we chose to use was pretty windy and the wind switched direction in several places so it really simulated the conditions we expect for the TTT in March.

At the end of the camp we hung out for a bit and jaw wobbled about various nonsense. The atmosphere is pretty relaxed and I have a good feeling about the personalities and the intelligence of the team this year.

Our next training camp is set for 23/24 April and is ALL about elevation. We should easily be over 4000m elevation gain for those 2 days.

O' joy. O' bliss...

RACE REPORT: Nantou County 22 Jan 2011

I just couldn't sleep.

I tossed and turned all night and just couldn't slip away into blissful slumber. I don't think there was any real reason other than I kept thinking about my 4am alarm.

I think I finally dozed for about 90 minutes when my iphone iwoke me up. I dressed, downed a lovely cup of coffee, stuffed some bread and fruit down my gullet and headed down to meet the guys.

We met at my house so it was easy for me this time. We packed up the team car, headed off for one more coffee and then drove 2 hours to the start.

It was a bit crisp during the 5km neutral but once we got going things cranked up to 60kph and I warmed up pretty quickly.

It was basically an out and back course that then turned onto a 5km climb to the finish. Not exactly the best for me. The plan was to get Gavin into a move after the turn around and if that got caught then Shou Ciao would nail it on the finish climb.

My job was to keep things together and lead Gavin out when it was time. This meant I needed to be active at the front. Early on there was a rider away who was just up the road but slowly rolling away. He had team mates massed at the front so I decided not to let them set up their rabbit.

I rolled to the front and picked up the pace with the idea of bringing this guy back. As I got pretty close to him I glanced back and realized that I was alone - they'd let me go off the front. This was the same team I was in a long break with in November. Maybe they thought it would help out their whole rabbit thing.

I closed on the rider and we rode together for a few more km when the bunch decided that it was time to end this silliness. Thank GOD. I had no desire to be there in the first place.

Lots of attacks and chases and I had to go to the front several times to bring the pace back up when it came time to get Gavin off the front. I was at the front pushing the pace when I glanced back and saw Gavin on my wheel. I figured he was ready to go. I notched it up and we strung out the group and pulled away. Then we jumped.

We got a gap and a decent rider from a team with numbers was with us. Gavin went around me and he went with him. I drifted back to the bunch to set up shop minding the bunch. When I got there 2 of my team mates had seen us go and were also in place.

Gavin and the other rider rode away. The plan was in motion.

A few km from the bottom of the climb Gavin started to not feel so great. The other rider sensed this and backed off a little. As we started onto the finish climb Gavin was reeled in and it was time for Shou Ciao to set to work.

Shou Ciao has been doing mostly base work (as all of us have) and didn't quite have the snap he needed at the end. He managed 9th overall. Gavin held on for 16th and I rolled across at 21st with our other rider at 23rd, just behind me.

This was only our second race together and the first race I'd done with the new riders. We were also down 2 riders to the flu. I was pretty happy that we executed both our plans and that riders were reading each others' moves and intentions. This bodes well for the season.

We have a 3 day training camp Feb 5~8 with a 20min power test on the 5th. This should be interesting...

The Limit

Recently I thought about the how many times I'd pushed myself beyond the limit of what I could do while on a bike. I've been in other situations in my life where this has happened but cycling is different.

Cycling isn't about survival. It isn't about having to overcome some life threatening or life altering challenge or event. it isn't about life or death choices.

The difference is that it is willful. Pushing yourself beyond what your body is prepared for using only your will is a different thing. At any point I could have just stopped without loss of life or limb yet I chose to keep going despite my body's clear signals that perhaps this wasn't such a good idea.

A few examples:

1988. Some goat path over a mountain in Spain. It's my third day in big mountains. I am WAY over geared and grind my way up this thing for an hour. I sit on a bench by the side of the road at the top and cry. Really.

1989. Some road race in NY State. I make the mistake of jumping into a break with the big boys. I am so nervous I don't eat or drink. An hour later I get head spins and have to sit by the side of the road until the ambulance scoops me up.

1992. Somewhere in Quebec. I flat after about an hour. I get a wheel change and then the neutral car drives away leaving me utterly alone with no food, 1 bottle and 100km of windy rollers. When I crawl across the finish line there is no finish line. They've torn it up, taken down the stage and most everyone is long gone including the jitbags on my new team who were supposed to be doing support for ALL of us. I find my rental car and sleep in the front seat until morning - still in my kit.

1997. A World Cup track event in Trexlertown is canceled. The riders are already on this side of the pond so the event is quickly relocated to Victoria where I lived at the time. After the WC many stick around for BC Superweek.

80 lap crit. All I remember is the silver rear hub of the wheel directly in front of me for the first 40 laps. Once the break goes the pace drops off slightly. My memory of the race starts there.

1998. A RR in Vancouver. Brian Walton leans on me in a tight corner and then jumps on the way out. I think "Well, there's a good wheel to follow." I jump. There's nothing. I slip into the group. I slip out the back of the group. The race rides away from and I can barely hold 20kph.

The next day I go for a blood test. I have a hemoglobin count of 19 with virtually no stored iron. All a result of the last few years of big training trying to be a bike racer.

2004. I black out for a second at 2500m trying to chase down the main bunch so I can hide from the wind. I barely avoid riding into a huge ditch on the side of the mountain. I blackout again while driving on my way home. I almost drive into the median.

2010. I nearly burst a blood vessel in my head after a relentless series of "why", "because" with my 3 year old son.

The worst part is that I know that this list will continue to grow.

O' what a fool am I?

The Long Way Home

Motivation.

It's cold, windy as hell and I'm 2 hours into a ride that could either take 3 1/2 or 4 1/2 hours depending on what I decide at the next intersection. What I need is the 4 1/2 hours. I need it today and I need it tomorrow and I need it each time I ride for the next few months.

It used to be that I could drop to race weight in a month. But now I'm older and the process is slower and the volume needed is much greater. But slogging out this distance seems harder and harder to do.

What I need is some motivation.

It used to be pride. I would put in the extra time because I didn't want to get dropped at a crucial point in a race because I didn't have the depth or because I was lugging around an extra kilo or two. Vanity was also a good one. Who wants to look fat in their kit? Looking tanned, lean and ripply always made me fell kinda sexy. Who doesn't want to feel sexy?

Money. Money is always a good motivator. Producing results to keep sponsors happy could push me to put in the extra time. Happy sponsors means more cash and more stuff. Pretty good motivation.

I guess the real struggle is the difference between how much time I can ride purely for the love of riding and the extra time I really need to be fast. It's the struggle between watching a good movie and throwing a leg over on cold, windy days where the drizzle feels like icicles tearing at your face.

And then there is today. Today was the same ride with the same choices. But today I was in a slightly bigger gear over the climb. Today I chased a truck and caught him on a set of rollers that I'd slogged over a few weeks before. Today I got up out of the saddle and big ringed my way over a 3 km long climb.Today the choice was easy.

Tomorrow is another day.